Residents of Westside Long Beach, already battling truck traffic and pollution, are asking the city to crack down on truck drivers illegally using neighborhood streets as alternate routes while the Vincent Thomas Bridge undergoes 16 months of repairs.
Trucks are permitted to use Santa Fe Avenue, one of the main corridors parallel to the 710 Freeway, only between the Pacific Coast Highway and Ninth St. — or for local pickups and deliveries — according to the municipal code. Yet Westside resident Mabel Martinez said it’s been common to see trucks on the avenue, even before the bridge closure. Now, residents are concerned drivers will use local streets rather than the designated detours along Anaheim Street and Harry Bridges Boulevard. West Long Beach is already one of the most polluted areas in the state, and truck drivers looking for a shortcut could make it worse.
Martinez and other Westside residents are asking city leaders to intervene before the problem expands. They’ve requested more signage prohibiting trucks, a traffic study to understand neighborhood impacts and stricter enforcement of trucks driving where they shouldn’t.
An email from District 7 Councilmember Roberto Uranga’s office to community members acknowledged that trucks traveling on Willow, Santa Fe or State Route 103 — also known as the Terminal Island Freeway — are out of compliance. The email said that Uranga had discussed adding additional signage with the city’s Public Works Department. It’s unclear if or when that will happen. Public Works did not immediately respond to questions from the Long Beach Post…